Posts Tagged ‘Tremec’

The Trans Am was almost ready for a test drive today. That is until an attempt to install the driveshaft as it is too long and prevents installation. This is the driveshaft that was supplied by Hurst Driveline Conversions in their Tremec 5 Speed Elite kit. The length should be shortened a minimum of 1/2″, possibly 3/4″ to be safe. I’ll make a call Monday morning to try and get it swapped out.

The following measurement is from the transmission tail shaft.

Measuring center to center of the existing shaft yields about 46.5″

**Update, 4/29/10** I contacted Hurst Driveline Conversions following the weekend and spoke with their tech department. The gentleman gave me two options. One was that I could contact their supplier of driveshafts to have mine swapped out. The other option was to find a local shop to shorten the driveshaft and they would reimburse me for the costs. I chose to have the driveshaft shortened a half inch and balanced locally. HDC requested that I submit a quote before I had any work done. I submited a quote from Truck Body Co. in Lynchburg VA and the very next morning HDC agreed to send me a check for the cost. I was extremely impressed with their level of customer service and support. I had expected to fight with them all week to get the cost reimbursed but instead I found exactly the opposite. It was a pleasure to work with their staff and I would certainly recommend them for anyone considering a five speed conversion.

A Tremec TKO 600 five speed was ordered from Hurst Driveline Conversions, formerly Classic Chevy 5 Speed. The transmission was ordered as a kit which includes everything to make the automatic to manual conversion. The TKO-600 incorporates the following gear ratios. 2.87, 1.89, 1.28, 1.00, 0.64 and rated for 600 ft-lbs. The kit is touted as a “no cut, no modification” setup. This may be a bit of a stretch. Although all the parts were included some modification was required of the floor pan. So far I’ve been pleased with how smoothly the installation has been. The top of the transmission is a little closer to the bottom of the floor pan than I’d like. It’s an extrememly close fit in this area with almost no clearance. The clearace hole for the shifter is rough at the moment but will be cleaned up next week.

Since the stock automatic transmission is being replaced with a Tremec TKO five speed, the shift mechanism on the steering column must be tweaked a little. Since there will be no linkage between the transmission and steering lock lever, a coupling was welded to the steering column to prevent the lever from moving. It wouldn’t be more than a nuisance if this lever moved, however the key could not be removed from the ignition until the lever was returned to the “park” position. This setup does pose a bit of a safety hazard which may be addressed in the future. The automatic must be in park in order to lock the steering wheel. Without the linkage it would be possible to lock the steering wheel while the car is in motion.

The Trans Am’s blower motor was masked and painted with Sem’s Gloss Black. After a few coats it was allowed to dry. Next the brake booster received its final cleaning and prep. The small plastic areas were masked and shot with Sem’s black Self Etching Primer. After a few minutes of dry time the booster was coated with Eastwood Brake Gray for a natural metal finish. Lastly, the steering box was finally mounted to the subframe. Today was mostly about tying up loose ends and getting ready for the rebuilt Pontiac 400 motor and Tremec trans. The last projects before the engine is picked up is re-wrapping the wire harness along with installing the rest of the brake and fuel lines.

After the top ball joints were bolted in and there was so much trouble pressing the lower ball joint in I got a tip that the ball joints that I got from NAPA were actually their budget models which sometimes don’t take grease that well. The top two ball joints were removed along with the lower ball joint that wasn’t fully pressed anyway. The cheap ones were exchanged for the better kind. Unfortunately they were almost double the price but the quality difference could be spotted from a mile away. So be sure to insist on NAPA’s premium ball joints when replacing if you don’t mind paying a little more. After the ball joints were finally pressed in, the control arms were scuffed with a scotch-brite then the bushings taped and a second coat of a paint applied.

Since I’m upgrading to a Tremec 5 speed, the Classic Chevy 5-speed kit comes with all of the necessary parts to do the changeover. The first of these parts to go one was the clutch bar frame bracket. Even the cars equipped with automatic transmissions like mine came with the holes pre-drilled for this bracket. To fasten the bracket to the frame I tapped these holes with a 5/16-24 tap. The holes were the correct size for this tap and did not have to be drilled first. Three 5/16-24 x 1″ stainless steel screws with a small bead of Loc-Tite fastened the two together. The last project of the day was to begin installing the stainless brake/fuel lines to the subframe that were purchased from National Parts Depot.